Article conveying, separating, and stacking apparatus



ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND STACKING APPARATUS Original. FiledAug. 23, 1957 Jan. l, 1963 J. H. HAHN ETAL 1'7 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORsJAMES H. HAHN RU sseu. J. NADHERNY illl Jan. l, 1963 J. H. HAHN E'I'ALlARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND STACKING APPRATUS Original FiledAug.y 23, 1957 17 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. l, 1963 J. H. HAHN x-:rAL

ARTICLEl CONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND STCKING APPARATUS 17 Sheets-Sheet 3Original Filed Aug. 23, 1957 RNW.

uunun oooaaeooo oauuocn INVENTORS: RUSSELL J. NADHERNY JAMEE H. HAHNJan. 1, 1963 J. H. HAHN ETAL 3,071,236

ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND STACKING APPARATUS l? Sheets-Sheet 4Original Filed Aug. 25, 1957 INVENTORS: RUSSELL J.. NDHERNY JAMES H.`HAHN J. H. HAHN TAL Jan. 1,1963

ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND STACKING APPARATUS Original FiledAug. 23, 1957 17 Sheets-Sheds 5 INVENTOR'. RUSSELL J. NADHERNY JAMES lH.HAHN 3,071,236 ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPR'IING,` ND STACKNG APPARATUSOriginal Filed Aug. 23, 1.95")7 Jan. L 1963 J. H. HAHN mm.

17 SheetS-Shet 6 INVENTOR5 RUSSELL J. NADHERNY BY JAMES H. HAHN 7M @3f/Z4 Jan. l, 1963 J. H. HAHN ETAL ARTICLE CONVEYING. SEPARATING, ANDSTACKINC APPARATUS 1'? Sheets-Sheet 7 Original Filed Aug. 23, 1957 Wg OR1 TE www m m N H wf JMW, L S my R JB% 6/0 20/ 22 2 2/ d n|` `5am. L'i963 J. H. HAHN AAT/lu..A 3,071,236

ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND sTAcxING APPARATUS l 1'7 Sheets-Sheet8 Original Filed Aug. 23, 1957 INVENTORS: RUSSELL J. NADHERNY JYIMES H.HAHN B Jn. 1, 1963 J. H. HAHN ETAL 3,071,236

ARTICLE coNvEvxNG, SEPARATING, AND STACKING APPARATUS INVENTOR: RUSSELLJ. NAnHERNY JAMES H. HAHN BY Jan. i, 1963 J. H. HAHN ETAL ARTICLECONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND STACKING APPARATUS 17 Shets-Sheet 10 OriginalFiled Aug. 23, 1957 KNLIIIHQ ma.

RUSSELL J. NADHER JAMES H. HAHN hwg Jan. l, 1963 J. H. HAHN ETAL3,071,236

ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND s'mcxING APPARATUS 1'? Sheets-Sheetl1 Original Filed Aug'. 25'." 1957 MuNww ,Al Nww.

M .wv E H 1 N M# JJM a es my, RJB /W/ v\% Jan. 1,1963 J. H. HAHN Em3,071,236

ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND STACKING APPARATUS Original FiledAug. 23. 1957 17 Sheets-Sheet 12 l l 29 4:0/ 40/dr, 40/g/ INVENTORS:RUSSELL J. NADHERNY JAMES H. HAHN B Jan. 1, 1963 J. H. HAHN Erm.3,071,236

ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND STCKING APPARATUS Original Filed Aug.23, 1957 1'? Shees-Sheet 13 Jan. l, 1963 J. H. HAHN :TAL 3,071,236

ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING. AND STACKING APPARATUS original FiledAug. 2s. 1957 17 sheets-sheet 14 INVENTORS RUSSELL .1. NADHERNY BIIAMEe.H. HAHN Jan. 1, 1963 .L H. HAHN l-:TAL I 3,071,235

ARTICLE CONVEYNG, SEPARATING, AND STCKING APPARATUS 1'? Sheets-Sheet lOriginal Filed Aug. 23, 1957 INVENTORS: RUSSELL J. NADHERNV JAMES H.HAHN Jan. 1, 1963 J. H. HAHN Erm. 3,071,236

ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING, AND STCKING APPARATUS Original Filed Aug.25, 1957 17 Sheets-Sheet 16 INVENTORS: RUSSELL J. NADHERNY JAMES H. HAHNJan. '1, 1963 J. H. HAHN ETAL 3,071,236

'ARTICLE CONVEYING, SEPARATING. AND sTAcxING APPARATUS Original FiledAug. 23, .195? 17 Sheets-Sheet 17 l fi W @l Q m g' m9 wm ww 53 F@ LA;

i INVENTORSZ RUSSELL J. NADHERNY JAMES H. HAHN Patented Jan. l, 1963 1 23 071 235 arrange the crackers correctly for proper travel and han-ARHCLE CQNVEYY@ SEPARATING AND dling, Moreover, in nearly all of theknown equipment STACKING iipARATUS for handling crackers, a highpercentage of waste results Jemen H, Henn, Glenview, and pnssell g,Nadhemy, Wil. from the undesirable forces to which the crackers aremette, lil., assignors to Schulze and Burch Biscuit Co., 5 Subjeced.

Chicago, lli., a corporation of Illinois In all of the'known widevariety of apparatus einontiniiation of abandoned application Ser. No.679,991, ployed for separating, delivering, or counting predeter- Au 23,i957 This ilhiliraill Allg- 29, 195o, Sermined numbers of cracker unitsfor packaging, the fre- No- 53,590 quent mechanical and operationaldelays, and the use of 33 Chime' (CL @8"3 10 hand labor in conjunctiontherewith, is wholly inconsist- Tln's is a conllnuatlon of the presentinventors applient with the high rate at which baked crackers inexorablycation, Serial No. 679,991, now abandoned, led August issue from thebaking OVerl- 23, 1957 Thus, any automatic system which affords apractical This invention relates to a self-contained and fully andeoononiioai means fOr Preparing Crackers for PaCilag" automatic systemfor performing on bakery products all ing mustbe capable of assuredlyhandling large cluantities Operations required between the baking ovenand wrap- 111 a rapid and highly eticient manner. In addition, the pingapparatus The invention is particularly adapted system must `becompletely accurate and capable of hanfor use on crackers baked in acontinuous line baking filing the Crackers Without Canslng appreciablebreakage oven and issued therefrom as Continuons Scored sheets, andwaste, since the oven-fresh crackers when cooled or as a series ofplatoon-like sections. The sheets and Wiii be Very britiie: and nenoenot abie to withstand platoons include long strips moved `broadsideahead and rongn nandiing-l n divided into cracker panels or divisions bymeans of the The present invention Provides an antoineiio systemscoring. The herein apparatus performs the operations Whionrneeis anniruiniis eii these reqiiireineni's Winie of breaking the platoons andsheets into strips of the deoperating for ine intended Purpose in enieniy sansraeiory sired unit width, conveying and sliingling thestrips, breakano ernment mannen The System fnriner may ne Used ing thestrips into the desired unit size, aligning each of Wiin other baieryProducts suon as graiiam Crackers the plurality Of rows of units soformed, consolidating Ry'KriSp Clooiiesg etc-i as Weii as eiso beingoePnoie of Ae rows into a lesser number thereof for feed to wrapnandiingWideiy different iYPes or arneies, suon as riool' ping apparatus, andautomatically picking olf and feed tiles, shingles, and candy hars. Inview of the immedii'ng a pedetermlned number of `crdckel. units for each30 are commercial demand therefor, however, the embodiwrappingoperation, ments of the present invention herein disclosed are pai'- Thehandling and packaging of frangible bakery prod. CUlarly adopted forhandling soda crackers.. l ucts, such as soda crackers, has receivedmuch attention The Principal obiecis of this invention is ro Provide inrecent yearsl A Wide yallety of apparatus has been automatic apparatusfor receiving tablet-like articles, such developed in an ei'ort toseparate, count and deliver a 35 "1 3 Soda Crackers in buik qufimitiesand ooniinuonsiy oe* predetermined number of the baked products in aneiiivermg them in predetermined amounts in Preparation cient manner. Forexample, by far a major portion of for pakagmg' the soda crackerscurrently available is produced from An important Object of thisinVenion is to Provide e sheets of dough suitably embossed or scored,and which fully eliminatie System for Performing on Crackers nii occupythe greater part of the Width of an endless bard 40 operations requiredbetween and including the reception Conveyor traveling through an ovenof the eonnnuous of the baked crackers in bulk and their delivery insegrethe oven as a series of spaced sheet sections of variable desiredWeight and ninnoe length as a result of the lengthwise shrinkageoccurring Another irnPoieni object of this invention is to Pro' in thesheet during .baking vide cracker handling apparatus which receives bulkThe baked product initially is -cooled during its travel crackers in ePiiireiiiy of rows: and transforms the from the oven and then is brokeninto the desired unit Crackers io a iesser nnrnber of rows, 0r eVen asingle rOW size for packaging, That is, it may be broken into unitscomposed of cracker panels of the desired size and in comprising, forexample, one, two or four cracker panels. readiness for further handlingone ations, such as for e reaking operation may be accomplishedniechanieXnrnPie WraPPin" or Packaging T0 this and the invencally, inwhich oase the producty more often than not 1s tion contemplates theprovision of novel means whereby the product strictly sanitary) tovertically extending in baked sheets of joined crackers, and thereafterseparatchannel ways from where they are fed in predetermined ing thebulk into cracker panels of the desired unit size elaborate systems alsohave been devised to automatically Clabie Cracker "Vasrage 0r b1 ea'kagegather, stack and feed the crackers. None, however, has Still anotherimportant feature of the present invention proved very successful due tothe dimensional variances is in@ PIUVSOH 0f aUOmaCmearlS for rePeVeiYmeas" inherent in the crackers, and further due to the numerousUrl'ngoir and separating groups 0f Crackers frOm the fOr@- mechanicalbreakdowns experienced, the frequent occurmost-end of a continuouslymoving cracker lane, In this rences of cracker jamming, breakage, etc.,necessitating connection, the invention further contemplates theprovioperational shut-downs to repair the equipment or toresion of meanswhereby slight variations in the cracker count of the segregated groupsmay be accomplished to compensate for volumetric and weightirregularities inherent in the crackers.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a novel automaticassembly capable of continuously separating scored cracker sheets orsections into desired cracker panel sizes, and maintaining anddischarging the same in aligned arrangement for subsequent handlingoperations while keeping cracker waste at a minimum.

Another specific object of this invention is to provide apparatusarranged to receive continuously a plurality of moving cracker lanes,sequentially pick off sections from the leading ends of the lanes whilecontemporaneously accelerating the same, and consolidating the crackersinto a single lane.

A further speciiic object of the present invention is to provideswitching means whereby the crackers in a consolidated lane withoutproduction interruption may be selectively directed toward subsequentstand-by handling apparatus to permit repairs, cleaning, and the like,when necessary.

Other objects of this invention are to provide cracker handlingapparatus: Which operates in a highly automatic, eiiicient and rapidmanner capable of handling crackers produced under the most rapid ofmodern mass production methods; which gently handles the crackerswithout subjecting them to any undue forces, without breaking theblisters normally resulting in baking, or without scraping off the saltwhich may have been applied; and which marshals the crackers intodesired dressed alignment to yfacilitate the several automatic handlingoperations, as well as facilitating cracker transfer therebetween.

The foregoing and other objects are fully met by a system capable ofreceiving the crackers issued from an oven in large, fiat, embossedsheets. Standardized equipment is used up to the point of ovendischarge. The crackers next are carried by a continuous belt conveyorto transverse break equipment which separates the crackers into stripsof the desired size. In the herein embodiment, the sheet is broken intostrips a single cracker panel deep, although, of course, strips two ormore panels deep may be provided. The strips further move broad sideahead and comprise a plurality of crackers. For the purpose of theherein description, the strips, for example, may be eighteen crackerswide. This first breaker station includes a plurality of wheels commonlymounted to a rotating shaft, and positioned above the moving sheet ofcrackers so as to ride thereon. As the wheels ride on the moving sheetsthey cause breaks at the transverse scored lines, thereby separating thecrackers into strips eighteen crackers wide. From the first breakerstation the cracker strips move past a trimmer station whereat the brownedges at either end of the strip are removed. After the crackers leavethe trimmer station, they pass onto a series of successively slowermoving conveyors which causes the cracker strips to become shingled.Means further may be provided to facilitate cooling of the crackers asthey are shingled. At the last of the shingling conveyors auxiliaryalignment conveyors are provided at each side thereof for directing thefeed of the shingled strips of crackers to the next breaker station.

At the hecond breaker station the strips of eighteen crackers each arebroken into cracker units of the size desired to be wrapped. Forexample, as hereinafter illustrated, the strips are broken into unitscomprising single cracker panels. Large rubber wheels are alternatelyarranged above and below the conveyor carrying the crackers through thebreaker station, the wheels being alingned with scored lines in thecracker strips. The purpose of the auxiliary =conveyors, hereinabovementioned, is to feed the shingled strips of crackers to the breakerwheels so that the cracker strip scored lines are aligned with thesewheels. The second breaker ping machine conveyor.

station includes `an arrangement using canvas belts, one of the beltscarrying the crackers thereon, while a second belt travels above themoving crackers and between them and the breaker wheels mountedthereabove. Employment of the canvas belts above and below the crackersas they pass between the breaker wheels maintains the crackers in anorderly manner as they are broken, while preventing undue pressure frombeing applied to the crackers by the wheels which never touch thecrackers.

The individual crackers leaving the second breaker station are ready -tobe separated into individually controlled lanes for ultimate measuringand handling, and feeding into the wrapping machines. Separation of theindividual crackers is accomplished at a spreader station which fans thecrackers out into eighteen rows of individual crackers and feeds theminto aligned lanes which extend in close approximate parallelrelationship with each other. Each lane includes spaced parallel runningbelts which carry the crackers down the lanes. Overrun conveyors,travelling faster than the speed of the belts, are provided at eachlane. Normally these acceleration conveyors have no effect on thetravelling crackers. How-1 ever, by control mechanism these overrunconveyors are sequentially made effective to engage the crackers attheir -respective lane and move them at an accelerated speed. The' lanesand their overrun conveyors are arranged in three highways, eachcomprising six lanes feeding crackers into switching apparatus whichdirects the crackers from each group of six lanes in single-line fashiontowards a wrapping machine. All the while the crackers pass through thelanes, they are in shingled fashion similar to that on the shinglingconveyors. Thus, the eighteen lanes of crackers issue from the overrunconveyors as three parades. The direction of cracker flow of theseparades is controlled by the aforementioned switching apparatus whichmay direct the crackers towards any three of four wrapping machines. Thefourth wrapping machine is employed as a standby unit which is availablefor immediate use in case of mechanical breakdown in any of the machinesor when they are cleaned. ln this manner the continuous flow of crackersmay be handled even though one of the wrapping machines is not in use.Moreover, the switching apparatus is so arranged that the switchingoperation may be accomplished without loss of production or creation ofscrap.

Before entering the wrapping units, the crackers are accumulated in areservoir or section of conveyor in each highway leading into aparticular wrapping machine. During the accumulation the crackers arecaused to move to a near vertical position in preparation for feed tothe wrapping machines.v

Each of the highways leads to a respective wrapping machine. Beforebeing fed to the wrapper, however, the crackers pass linear countingapparatus which measures off appropriate lengths of lots of crackers.This apparatus includes retarding conveyors which hold back cracker flowand measure the linear rate of feed of the crackers towards the wrapper.Appropriately positioned retarding and positioning brushes maintain thecrackers in a vertically compact alignment in preparation for passingthe counter mechanism. The counting apparatus further includes a pair ofsynchronized conveyors at each side of each highway, the synchronizedconveyors being so arranged as to be able to pick off the crackers forultimate feed to the wrapping machines. Each of the synchronizedconveyors carries means arranged to engage the side of the verticallystanding compact backlog of crackers and control the feed thereof to thewrapping machine. In one illustrated embodiment, the speed of thesynchronized conveyors is synchronized to the speed of a conveyor withinthe wrapping machine and is faster than the rate of cracker feed theretoso that the crackers are engaged land accelerated to the speed of thewrap- VThe wrapping machine is arranged to receive the measured crackersand pass them therethrough.

The retarding conveyors are capable of varying the number of crackerswhich are ultimately wrapped in each That is, a slight variation in thecount of the consideration of the following description together withthe accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic plan View of a portion ing the remainder ofFIGURES 3, and 7 taken together constitute a plan view of the entireapparatus, the broken line at the right hand side of FIGURE 3 and thebroken line at the left hand side of FIGURE 5, and the broken line atthe right `hand side of FIGURE 5 and the broken line at the left handside of FIGURE 7, indicating the places where the several parts shownwould be joined if the three gures were consolidated into one;

FIGURES 4, side elevational the apparatus;

view of the entire apparatus, FIGURES the apparatus shown and FIGURES 8and 9 when combined being elevational views of the apparatus shown inFIGURE 7;

FIGURES 10, 11 and 12 are consecutive diagrammatic elevational viewsshowing the position of the crackers through the various handlingoperations;

FIGURE 13 is a plan view of the apparatus at the tirst of the shinglingand cooling conveyors;

FIGURE 14 is a cross-sectional view looking in the direction opposite tocracker travel, taken on line 14-14 in FIGURE 13;

FIGURE 15 is a plan View of the apparatus at the last of the shinglingand cooling conveyors;

FIGURE 16 is a cross-sectional view looking in the direction of crackertravel, taken on line 16-I6 of FIG- URE 15;

FIGURE 17 is a plan view of the apparatus at the second `break station,with certain parts broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 18 is an elevational view of the same, taken along line I8-Ii inFIGURE 17;

FIGURE 19 is a cross-'sectional elevational view taken on line 19-19 inFIGURE 17;

FIGURE 2O is a plan view, with certain parts broken away for clarity,taken on line Ztl-20 in FIGURES 18;

FIGURE 2l is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2I`211 in FIGURE 19,showing the breaking action on the crackers;

FIGURE 22 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus forreceiving the crackers from the apparatus shown in FIGURES 17 to 21;

FIGURE 23 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevational view taken online 23-23 in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 24 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional elevation viewtaken on line 24`24 in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 25 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional elevation viewtaken on line 2:?25 in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 26 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation view taken on line 26-26in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 27 is an enlarged plan view of the overrun conveyor apparatus;

FIGURE 28 is a side elevation view taken on line 2i8- 2R in FIGURE 27'FIGURE 29 taken on line 29429 in FIGURE 27;

3 is a cross-sectional front elevation View FIGURE 30 is a fragmentaryenlarged View of the same;

FIGURE 31 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of an overrunconveyor;

`FIGURE 32` is an enlarged plan view of the switching apparatus, thebroken line at the left hand side of FIG- URE 32 and the broken line atthe right hand side of FIGURE 27 indicating the place Where the severalparts shown would be joined if the tigures were consolidated into one;

FIGURE 33 is a cross-sectional side elevation view taken on line 13`33in FIGURE 32;

FIGURE 34 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the apparatus shownin FIGURE 32, and indicating in phantom lines alternate setting of thesame;

FIGURE 35 is a plan view of a tamping machine;

IFIGURE 36 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of the same taken online 36-36 in FIGURE 35;

FIGURE 37 is a side elevation View of the tamper, taken on line 37-37 inFIGURE 35;

.FIGURE 38 is an enlarged plan view of metering and counting apparatus;

FIGURE 39 is a side elevational View of the same, taken on line 39%-39in FIGURE 38;

FIGURE 40 is a cross-sectional rear elevation view taken on line 4i-4tlin FIGURE 39;

FIGURE 41 is an enlarged plan view the counting vconveyor apparatus;

FIGURE 42 is a cross-sectional plan view taken on line 42`42 in FIGURE40;

FIGURE 43 is a cross-sectional rear elevation view taken on line 43--43in FIGURE 38;

.FIGURE 44 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view taken on line44`44 in FIGURE 41;

i *IGURE 45 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of a portion ofthe cracker counting conveyor;

FIGURE 46 is a cross-sectional elevation side view taken on line 4i3`46in FIGURE 41;

yFIGURE 47 is a view similar to that URE 38 with t e crackers inposition;

FIGURE 48 is a side elevation view of the same;

the cracker of a portion of shown in FIG- plan view of the crackers asthey are segregated into lots for packaging; and

FIGURES 52 and 53 respectively are fragmentary cross-sectional viewstaken on lines 52-52 and 53-53 in FIGURE 47.

General Organization The herein system is arranged on suitable framingmema continuous sheet of crackers ll apparatus will be divided into theassemblies as immediately hereinafter designated: Transfer, First Break,Trimmer, Shingling Alignment and Cooling Apparatus A; Second BreakStation B; Spreading ment Station C; Overrun and Consolidation SwitchingStation E; tion F.

T ransfer, Fz'i'sl Break, T rmmer, S/zl'nglng Alignment and CoolingApparatus' and Metering yand Counting Sta- The detailed description ofthis portion of the apparatus is presented in applicants copendingapplication entitled Apparatus for Handling Bakery Articles, Serial No.

52,637 filed August 29, 1960.

1. APPARATUS FOR TRANSFORMING A GROUP OF EQUIVALENT INDIVIDUAL LINES OFPANELS, SUCH AS CRACKERS, MOVING AT A GIVEN SPEED ALONG RESPECTIVE PATHSINTO A SINGLE COMMON LINE MOVING AT A SUFFICIENTLY GREATER SPEED TOACCOMMODATE THE PANEL MOVEMENT IN ALL INDIVIDUAL LINES, COMPRISING APLURALITY OF CONVEYOR MEANS, EACH JUXTAPOSED TO A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAIDPATHS, DRIVEN AT A SPEED GREATER THAN PANEL LINE ADVANCE THEREIN, ANDNORMALLY HAVING NO EFFECT ON THE PANELS IN ITS RESPECTIVE PATH;MECHANISM FOR EACH PANEL LINE PATH WHEREBY THE CONVEYOR MEANS JUXTAPOSEDTHERETO INTERMITTENTLY IS DISPOSED TO INTERCEPT A FOREMOST LENGTH OFPANELS THEREIN AND MOVE THE SAME AT SAID GREATER SPEED; MEANS FORSEQUENTIALLY ACTUATING THE MECHANISMS FOR SAID PATHS, WHEREBY LENGTHS OFPANELS ARE SEQUENTIALLY PICKED OFF FROM SAID PATHS, ACCELERATED TO SAIDGREATER SPEED AND DELIVERED FROM SAID PATHS IN STAGGERED RELATION; ANDMEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID STAGGERED LENGTHS OF PANELS AND DIRECTING THESAME INTO A SINGLE LINE.